UK: Spy case was attack on international values

Britain's foreign secretary accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of personally ordering the poisoning of the Skripals.

The latest move by the Russian foreign ministry is in retaliation for the expulsion of the same number of Russian diplomats in Britain in the past few days.

"But we will always do what is necessary to defend ourselves, our allies, and our values against an attack of this sort, which is an attack not only on the United Kingdom, but upon the worldwide rules-based system, on which all countries, all countries including Russian Federation, depend for their safety and security".

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was giving the 23 British diplomats one week to leave the country.

Escalating a crisis in relations, Russian Federation said it was also shutting down the activities of the British Council, which fosters cultural links between the two countries, and Britain's consulate-general in St. Petersburg. They are now in critical condition in a local hospital.

Rising tensions with the West over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Britain, and new sanctions from Washington over alleged election meddling, strengthen the impression of a Russian Federation at loggerheads with the rest of the world.

UK-Russia relations have been fractious ever since the assassination of another former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, in 2006.

Sobchak has posed as a defender of liberal values and denounced Putin's policies, but many observers believe the Kremlin has given its tacit blessing for her to join the contest hoping that she would add an element of competition to the otherwise lacklustre race.

The move comes a day before Russia's presidential elections, which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win. The leaders stressed that they share Britain's opinion on Russia's involvement in this incident, and they called Moscow for providing the information about Novichok agent (a series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union and Russiabetween 1971-1993, -ed.) to the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). The British Embassy in Moscow told CNN it had been given a list of 23 specific individuals that were to be expelled from Russian Federation.

British police said there is no apparent link between the attack on Glushkov and the poisoning of the Skripals, but both have raised alarm in the West at a time when Russian Federation is increasingly assertive on the global stage and is facing investigations over alleged interference in the Donald Trump's 2016 election as USA president.

The British Council said it was profoundly disappointed by Russia's decision and remained committed to developing long-term people-to-people links with Russian Federation despite the closure.

Sergei Skripal, a 66-year-old former colonel in Russia's military intelligence service, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia Skripal, were found dead slumped on a bench in a British shopping district in Salisbury earlier this month. "It's impossible not to respond in this situation".

A Russian lawmaker is warning Britain against escalating the crisis over the poisoning of a former Russian spy. British police said Friday that he died from compression to the neck and opened a murder investigation.

Russian investigators said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into the attempted murder of Yulia Skripal and offered to cooperate with British authorities.

In January 2012 a former top aide to then British prime minister Tony Blair admitted that Britain had a spy plot involving a fake rock.

Share

Related Articles

Abrahams said the director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal will facilitate the process for Zuma to appear in court. Since his election nine years ago, his opponents have fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated.

He has netted seven goals and provided seven assists in a combined 21 appearances in the Premier League and UEFA Europa League . Lampard said: "I'm an admirer of Aaron Ramsey and Arsenal must try to secure his long-term future at the club".

Two days later Lavrov's deputy Sergei Ryabkov says Moscow never had any programmes to develop the Novichok nerve agent . On Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry ordered the expulsion of 23 British officials from the country.

His attorney has said Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors would not pursue the death penalty, which they have refused to do. The video footage released offers a limited viewpoint that focuses mainly on Broward Deputy Scot Peterson .

And because some of them were mentally strong enough and with football quality to play was the reason why we won. He added: "We didn't play as I wanted them to play; we didn't play as I prepared the team to play".

But with those, fans can pick up 21 games live, including the Final Four and the National Championship Game on April 2. Redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop can put points on the board as easily as any other player in the NCAA .

Sissoko has struggled for playing time for Tottenham so far this season, but his performance against Swansea was very encouraging. It was now a case of all or nothing for the home side, who returned for the second period with a flea in their ear.

If the Americans feel weakness, they will try to coerce North Korea into making maximum concessions or even capitulating. It was Kim's relentless push to conduct nuclear and missile tests that caused the flow of money to dry up.

The Skripals remain in a critical condition following the attack that also poisoned a British police officer. The British Council said in a statement it is "profoundly disappointed" at its pending closure.

Alexa Brief Mode will make it less talkative
Reddit users over at /r/AmazonEcho discovered something interesting: a new mode for Amazon Echo products called Brief Mode. For instance, Alexa on Amazon Echo can turn on lights when commanded and an "Ok" response isn't necessary.

North Korean foreign minister arrives in Sweden for talks
The U.S. -North Korea summit talks were brokered by Moon's envoys, who met with Kim Jong Un during a March 5-6 Pyongyang trip. They also agreed that a "brighter future is available for North Korea, if it chooses the right path", the White House stated.

President Trump Tours Border Wall Prototypes
Louis, Missouri. "They have a lot of problems in Mexico , they have a lot of problems over there", Trump said during the visit. Tens of thousands of people enter the USA daily from Tijuana, Mexico, many on their way to work or school in San Diego.

FAA Restricts Doors-Off Helicopter Tours
The FAA will order a halt to such flights that "involve restraints that can not be released quickly in an emergency". The pilot of the flight was the only person who escaped after the Airbus SE AS350B2 hit the water and sank.

Russia's Lavrov says no progress made in stand-off with…
Their joint statement said there was "no plausible alternative explanation" to Russian Federation being to blame for the attack. Less than 10 days later, Russian exile Nikolai Glushkov was found dead at his home in New Malden, South West London .